1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a firearm bore light and more particularly to a relatively compact firearm bore light that can be clipped to a keychain and includes a removable head that allows the device to alternatively be used as a pocket flashlight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bore lights are known to be used to inspect the barrel or bore of a firearm to check for wear, obstructions or other defects. Examples of such firearm bore lights are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,339,200; 5,365,332 and 5,551,182. The bore light disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,332 is configured to be used with ambient light and is configured as an L-shaped member defining two legs. One leg is disposed within the bore of the firearm opposite of the muzzle end. The other leg is pointed toward a source of ambient light. Once the firearm bore light is inserted into the bore, the operator is able to view the interior of the gun barrel from the muzzle end. Unfortunately, the firearm bore light disclosed in the '332 patent can only be used with firearms where access to the bore is provided. In addition, with such a firearm bore light, its effectiveness is a function of the available ambient light.
In order to solve this problem, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,339,200 and 5,551,182 include integral sources of light. In particular, the '200 patent discloses a firearm bore light which includes a source of light, such as a flashlight and a light rod. A mirror and light disbursing lens is disposed at the extended end of the light rod to reflect light toward the muzzle end of the barrel. As such, in order to view the entire length of the barrel, the light rod has to be fairly long causing this device to be relatively bulky. In addition, the need for the mirror and lens makes the devise rather complicated and thus expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,182 discloses a firearm bore light which essentially consists of a miniature flashlight, configured to be placed inside of a gun barrel and successively positioned along the length of the barrel by tilting the gun barrel causing the bore light to slide away from the muzzle end.
There are several problems with the device disclosed in the '182 patent. First, the device is not suitable for all types of firearms. For example, although the device may work with long barrel firearms, such as rifles and shotguns, it is not suitable for handguns. In addition, when the firearm bore light is at the furthest position from the muzzle end of the gun barrel, it will cover up a portion of the gun barrel preventing that portion from being inspected. Thus, there is a need for a firearm bore light which has an integral light source and is compact and does not block a portion of the barrel from being inspected.